We have seen a slew of tablet notebooks hitting the shelves from mainstream manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, and from lesser known companies like Asus as well. But one glaring omission from this sector of the market was Sony. It was conspicuous by its absence and everybody expected Sony to bring out a product to compete with the likes of the Galaxy Tab and the iPad.
Sony didn’t keep its fans waiting for very long, and introduced its tablet at end of 2011. With Sony’s up-market image and technical expertise, it seemed that they would be the ones to produce a device that could compete with Apple’s phenomenal iPad. The Tablet S isn’t an inexpensive alternative to the iPad. It is just an iPad alternative, and a very good one.
The design is eye-catching and stands out in a sea of similar looking devices, with its distinctive wedge-like styling. The design is not only eye-catching, but is easier to hold than the competing devices which are flat. The downside of this design is that it’s not as thin as the iPad or the Galaxy Tab, but is just as light and feels better to hold. The wedge design has another advantage as well. When placed on any flat surface, the screen is tilted towards the user, thus reflecting glare and making it easier to type.
The design is just as minimalistic as that of the iPad and has very few buttons; just the ones for power and volume control. There is a SD card slot and a micro-USB port for connectivity and a headphone jack. A funny thing about the SD port is that it can’t be used as a memory expansion port. The biggest draw on this device is the screen. The TruBlack technology is carried over from its Bravia line of televisions and this produces breathtaking contrast on the screen, almost at par with the Retina display of the iPad2, but not quite there.
Under the skin is fairly normal fare, with all Android Honeycomb 3.1 features available out of the box. So, Google services like Gmail and Google Talk (along with video chatting) is available readily. What puts it aside from other Honeycomb devices is that Sony has incorporated a host of its own applications into the mix. There’s access to Sony’s online video service. Presumably, choice is fairly limited in the beginning, but talks are afoot to have deals with major Hollywood studios where users can rent and watch movies online. Besides Google Books, Sony has included its own Reader software. The user also gets access to Sony’s Unlimited Music Service and the Tablet also has an in-built emulator which can run games for PS1 as well as the PSP.
Sony didn’t keep its fans waiting for very long, and introduced its tablet at end of 2011. With Sony’s up-market image and technical expertise, it seemed that they would be the ones to produce a device that could compete with Apple’s phenomenal iPad. The Tablet S isn’t an inexpensive alternative to the iPad. It is just an iPad alternative, and a very good one.
The design is eye-catching and stands out in a sea of similar looking devices, with its distinctive wedge-like styling. The design is not only eye-catching, but is easier to hold than the competing devices which are flat. The downside of this design is that it’s not as thin as the iPad or the Galaxy Tab, but is just as light and feels better to hold. The wedge design has another advantage as well. When placed on any flat surface, the screen is tilted towards the user, thus reflecting glare and making it easier to type.
The design is just as minimalistic as that of the iPad and has very few buttons; just the ones for power and volume control. There is a SD card slot and a micro-USB port for connectivity and a headphone jack. A funny thing about the SD port is that it can’t be used as a memory expansion port. The biggest draw on this device is the screen. The TruBlack technology is carried over from its Bravia line of televisions and this produces breathtaking contrast on the screen, almost at par with the Retina display of the iPad2, but not quite there.
Under the skin is fairly normal fare, with all Android Honeycomb 3.1 features available out of the box. So, Google services like Gmail and Google Talk (along with video chatting) is available readily. What puts it aside from other Honeycomb devices is that Sony has incorporated a host of its own applications into the mix. There’s access to Sony’s online video service. Presumably, choice is fairly limited in the beginning, but talks are afoot to have deals with major Hollywood studios where users can rent and watch movies online. Besides Google Books, Sony has included its own Reader software. The user also gets access to Sony’s Unlimited Music Service and the Tablet also has an in-built emulator which can run games for PS1 as well as the PSP.
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